What are examples of hollow organs?

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Examples of hollow organs include the stomach, intestines and urinary bladder, according to Dr. Michael John Hughey for Operational Medicine. These organs have space inside of them that substances pass through.

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For example, when people eat food, it passes into the stomach, one of the hollow organs where enzymes are secreted and food begins to break down before passing into the intestines, notes Ducksters. In the intestines, food is digested, nutrients are absorbed and waste passes out of the body. Another hollow organ is the heart, which pumps blood throughout the body in blood vessels.

Organs are structures in the body consisting of a group of tissues. Most organs contain epithelial cells that cover the organ; connective tissue that holds the organ in place and provides protection; and nerves that communicate messages to and from the brain, according to class notes from Augusta Technical College. Hollow organs often have smooth muscle in the walls of the organ to propel the food, blood or other substances through the organ.

While organs are protected inside the body, they might be injured from a trauma such as a car accident, fall or stab wound, explains the American Trauma Society. When injured, hollow organs are susceptible to tears that allow the contents of the organ to enter body cavities. When this occurs, the injured person is at a high risk of infection and sepsis, states Dr. Hughey.